The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives. (cont.) Gospel of John, Chapter 8
- Chapter 149 -
The convincing miracle of Raphael.
Raphael said: "You have spoken well and correctly and I cannot contradict you in any of your words, but we, perfect men, possess also what is for you, the fatal gift: to see also your most inner thoughts, and these were not in agreement with your words."
2
The Pharisee said: "How is that possible? How can one speak differently than what he thinks? After all, the word itself is nothing else than in a certain way a corporal thought."
3
Raphael said: "Yes, yes, this is the way it should be, but with you this has never been so, and also this time it was not like that. If your word is the loudly spoken out interpretation of your inner thoughts, then it is truth. But if you profess something with the mouth but think in your heart the total opposite of it, then your word is not the truth anymore, but a lie that you surely can press on to people of your kind but not to men like we are, because we also have the ability to see and to hear the thoughts of men, and then a lie will not help.
4
You certainly have said something truthful, namely that you will not take part in the counsel when the persecution of the great prophet will be discussed. And also that you can never make up anymore for all the evil that you have committed, but still want to make up for the things that can be made up. However, all this you only want to do because you consider us, and also the prophet, as arch-magicians and not as real messengers of God. You are very afraid of us as arch-magicians and therefore you do not want to turn against us. However, I am telling you that we are not magicians but truly messengers from God. The great prophet from Galilee however, is actually not a prophet, but He is what the prophets have prophesied about Him.
5
If you would believe in Him, then you could receive also forgiveness of your sins, but if you do not believe in Him and do not accept His teaching and are also not acting according to it, then your sin remains in you, and therefore, also eternal death. He alone is the Lord, just like all the prophets have spoken of Him, and therefore He also can forgive the sins of whoever comes to Him. But as a master-magician, for whom You are taking Him, He will not remit and forgive your many sins.
6
I will show you at once that we are no magicians as you think. Look at me, whether I am wearing something else than only this very light folded robe. Now I do ask you: what do you want me to make appear, only by my will? But choose something good, real, and thus intelligent."
7
Then the Pharisees were thinking about it, what they could choose which for the so-called young magician would not be so easy.
8
After a while they said: "Good, dear friend, make for us a fully grown fig tree, that is loaded with fruits, and make it so that it would stay and bear fruits for years. However, we also want to taste the fruits immediately."
9
Raphael said: "Although it is written: 'You shall not tempt God's omnipotence, but you shall serve God', your wish will be fulfilled immediately because the only concern is to show you the difference between a magician and someone who works with God's Spirit. Where do you want the tree to be?"
10
The Pharisee said: "Look, there, where a brown stone is laying at the brim of the hill. Precisely there you can put it."
11
Raphael said: "Very well, I want that there will be immediately a fig tree, just like you have wanted it, on the indicated spot. So be it!"
12
Now at that moment, a fig tree was standing on the indicated spot. The Pharisees and Levites were so frightened by it that out of fear and amazement they hardly dared to say anything.
13
But Raphael said to them: "Well, the tree that was desired by you stands on its place, richly loaded with ripe fruits. Go to it and taste the figs, and found out if they are useless magic or full reality."
14
Then one Pharisee said: "O, almighty messenger of Jehovah, we already can see that this is eternally no magic, but the might and power of God's Spirit in man. May God forgive what we have done against His omnipotence. We dare not to taste the fruit that God had created so wonderfully by His omnipotence, because that would be even more tempting God."
15
Raphael said: "Oh, oh, so devout you are not yet by far. You are only scared that eating this fruit would harm you, and therefore you dare not taste it. But the other people will go to it first and taste the fruits, then surely you will see if ever the fruits are harmful for you."
16
Then Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and still a few others went to the nice tree, picked a few figs from the branches, ate them with great satisfaction and were praising the good taste of it. Then also the Pharisees went to it and ate also the really delicious looking and very attractive figs, and they find no words to praise the lovely taste of it.
17
When they had finished eating several figs, they went, full of amazement, back again to the angel, looked at him from head to toe and said after a while: "Young man, are you really only a man like we are, or are you perhaps one or the other higher being?"
18
Raphael said: "Yes, I most surely am a human being, but indeed not like you, because you are until now in fact not real men, but only becoming half human beings, where still a lot is missing until they will become perfect human beings. Now, what more do you want me to show you?"
19
The Pharisees, to whom it was finally dawning, said: "O, dear young man, for sure you are just like a Samuel and a David, a young man filled with the Spirit of Jehovah. This sign is enough for us. We repent that we have tempted God this one time, and asked for a sign from you. Now we fully believe that it is no magic, but a pure wonder of God. It would be insolent of us to, like you have said, ask for an extra sign. But you can, as young man who stands completely in the favor of God, do at own will whatever you wish.
20
It even seems to us that you also are the miraculous builder of that big pillar in the field, which can still be seen very well from here. Because it is not in a natural way that it ended up there, because one cannot see the slightest trace of damage to the soil and to the grass, that undoubtedly had to be there by the setting up of such a heavy pillar. Thus, it must have originated in a miraculous way. And if it is possible by God's grace and power in you to create such a tree full of ripe and very good tasting figs as fast as lightning, then why would it not be possible to make appear that pillar in precisely the same manner?
21
For by God, who created this whole Earth out of nothing, together with all that it is carrying and feeding, everything must be possible. However, in you, also God's grace and power are active, and so also for you everything must be possible. You only have to will it firmly and everything what you want is already there. We are now fully convinced about that and we do not need another sign from you. You have wisdom and power and therefore, you yourself can still do whatever you want."